Comment by HDriscoll on Is Google Paperclipping the Web? The Perils of Optimization by Proxy in Social Systems · 2011-03-12T05:52:10.828Z · LW · GW

You may say the same about industrially processed food: yes, you can consume it. Eventually you become malnourished and the receptor sites of your cell membranes have trouble distinguishing the hormones you really need from the hormone inhibitors that get to the receptor sites first. Over time, you will lose vitality.

Spam of course, is a 'meat-like' substance, so the analogy may hold....

Spam content degrades the whole, just like bad food saps your vitality over time.